Beat It: Open Labs presents Beats 'N Treats Music Festival @ The Mohawk

A couple of months ago, during a random discussion of various electro acts playing around town of late, an associate of ours put forth an interesting term that made us laugh and squirm at the same time. “We should have a beat-off” was the exact sentence if memory serves us well. Nothing shocking -- beat-off was a simple enough combination of two words -- that could have been interpreted differently had the context of our conversation not already been established.

No one from Open Labs was involved in the aforementioned chat, but the Austin entity has put together quite the event for budding beatsters to showcase their skills and possibly win an Open Labs NeKo LUX enclosed in a 24-karat gold frame. The “Beats 'N Treats Music Festival” will take place at The Mohawk on October 24th and 25th; an assortment of acts (such as Blackholicus and The Hot Pentecostals) will perform on the inside stage while the outside stage is reserved for the beat-off beat competition. There is a small fee ($10) to enter the contest -- register here. (Only the first 200 registrants will have the opportunity to show off their chops -- registration ends on October 15th.)

The shindig marks Open Labs five year anniversary. Per the company website, “Open Labs develops customized, computer music keyboards suited to fit every studio and stage need imaginable. Our instruments combine studio and computer technology with keyboard hardware to create a multi-functional studio, a multi-faceted keyboard, and a complete PC setup all in one machine.” (Full overview.) Open Labs co-founder and chairman Victor Wong’s announcement about the contest can be viewed via YouTube. The event will be broadcast live on the company’s website; The Mohawk’s accommodating patio will be utilized for product demonstrations and Q&A’s with Open Labs representatives. Can’t beat that.

[Open Labs Official]
[Open Labs MySpace]